Abstract
Although stomachaches and headaches are considered characteristic of children with anxiety disorders, there is converging evidence that a broader range of somatic symptoms may be associated with children's expressions of anxiety. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of somatic complaints in anxious children. The results indicated that children with anxiety disorders endorsed the presence of many different somatic complaints, and that contrary to clinical intuition, stomaches and headaches were not among the most commonly reponed symptoms. In addition, the anxious children endorsed significantly more somatic complaints when compared to normal controls. Furthermore, the symptom pattern reported by anxious children indicated the presence of both the somatic and cognitive components usually associated with panic attacks, although none of the children met diagnostic criteria for panic disorder. The results are discussed in terms of the contribution of somatic symptoms to the understanding of anxiety disorders in children.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alessi, N. E., & Magen, J. (1988). Panic disorder in psychiatrically hospitalized children.American Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 1450–1452.
American Psychiatric Association (1980).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
American Psychiatric Association, (1987).Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., rev.) Washington, DC: Author.
Apley, J. (1975).The child with abdominal pains. London: Blackwell.
Beidel, D. C. (1988). Psychophysiological assessment of anxious emotional states in children.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 80–82.
Beidel, D. C., & Turner, S. M. (1988). Comorbidity of test anxiety and other anxiety disorders in children.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 16, 275–287.
Beidel, D. C., Turner, S. M., & Dancu, C. V. (1985). Physiological, cognitive and behavioral aspects of social anxiety.Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 109–117.
Biederman, J. (1987). Clonazepam in the treatment of prepubertal children with panic-like symptoms.Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 48 (10, Suppl.), 38–41.
Black, B., & Robbins, D. R. (1990). Panic disorder in children and adolescents.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 36–44.
Borden, J. W., & Turner, S. M. (1989). Is panic a unique emotional experience?Behaviour Research and Therapy, 27, 263–268.
Enzer, N. B., & Walker, P. A. (1967). Hyperventilation syndrome in childhood: A review of 44 cases.The Journal of Pediatrics, 70, 521–532.
Garland, E. J., & Smith, D. H. (1990). Panic disorder on a child psychiatric consultation service.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 785–788.
Gorman, J. M., & Gorman, L. F. (1987). Drug treatment of social phobia.Journal of Affective Disorders, 13, 183–192.
Hollingshead, A. B. (1975).Four factor index of social status. New Haven: Yale University.
James, W. (1884). What is emotion?Mind, 19, 188–205.
Joorabchi, B. (1977). Expressions of the hyperventilation syndrome in childhood: Studies in management, including an evaluation of the effectiveness of propranolol.Clinical Pediatrics, 16, 1110–1115.
Lang, P. J. (1977). Physiological assessment of anxiety and fear. In J. D. Cone & R. P. Hawkins (Eds.),Behavioral assessment: New directions in clinical psychology (pp. 178–195). Brunner/Mazel.
Last, C. G. (1991). Somatic complaints in anxiety disordered children.Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
Last, C. G., & Strauss, C. C. (1989). panic disorder in children and adolescents.Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 3, 87–95.
Livingston, R., Taylor, J. L., & Crawford, S. L. (1987). A study of somatic complaints and psychiatric diagnosis in children.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 185–187.
Moreau, D., Weissman, M. M., & Warner, V. (1989). Panic disorder in children.American Journal of Psychiatry.
Nelles, W. B., & Barlow, D. H. (1988). Do children panic?Clinical Psychological Review, 8, 359–372.
Rauste-von Wright, M., & von Wright, J. (1981). A longitudinal study of psychosomatic symptoms in healthy 11–18 year old girls and boys.Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 25, 525–534.
Sarason, S. B., Davidson, K. S., Lighthall, F. F., & Waite, R. R. (1958). A test anxiety scale for children.Child Development, 29, 105–133.
Silverman, W. K., & Nelles, W. B. (1988). The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 772–778.
Turner, S. M., & Beidel, D. C. (1989). Social phobia: Clinical syndrome, diagnosis and comorbidity.Clinical Psychology Review, 9, 3–18.
Turner, S. M., Beidel, D. C., & Jacob, R. G. (1988). Assessment of panic. In S. Rachman & J. D. Maser (Eds.),Panic: Psychological perspectives (pp. 37–50). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Vitiello, B., Behar, D., Wolfson, S., & McLeer, S. (1990). Diagnosis of panic disorder in prepubertal children.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 782–784.
Walker, L. S., & Greene, J. W. (1989). Children with recurrent abdominal pain and their parents: More somatic complaints, anxiety, and depression than other patient families?Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 14, 231–243.
Wasserman, A. L., Whitington, P. F., & Rivara, F. P. (1988). Psychogenic basis for abdominal pain in children and adolescents.Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 179–184.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The authors wish to express their appreciation to Karen Trager, M.A., for her assistance in data collection. Preparation of this manuscript was supported by NIMH grant MH43252.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Beidel, D.C., Christ, M.A.G. & Long, P.J. Somatic complaints in anxious children. J Abnorm Child Psychol 19, 659–670 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00918905
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00918905